I recently got a 1 year old Pomeranian. I noticed when I first fed her she would put her nose to the bowl, then to the floor, and this repeats a few times until she's satisfied. I recently took her to the vet and they suggested to feed her in her kennel because she was thin and needed to gain weight too. I've been feeding her in her kennel since, but she sometimes still does the ritual. Should I be concerned about this? and what does it mean?

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4 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Dog Eating BehaviorI recently got a 1 year old Pomeranian. I noticed when I first fed her she would put her nose to the bowl, then to the floor, and this repeats a few times until she's satisfied. I recently took her to the vet and they suggested to feed her in her kennel because she was thin and needed to gain weight too. I've been feeding her in her kennel since, but she sometimes still does the ritual. Should I be concerned about this? and what does it mean?

I would worry more about her being underweight than her feeding ritual....

I'm not quite sure what you mean by her putting her nose to the bowl and then the floor... is she taking pieces of food out and eating them elsewhere ? If this is the case many dogs do it... I don't know why but they do.... there's no reason to stop the behavior or to feed her in her crate because of it...

Do you keep food out for her all day to snack on or does she have set meal times ? If she's underweight and she has set meal times it could be that she has a tiny tummy and just can't physically take in enough food during that time frame... if that's the case then I would leave a bowl out for her all day to snack on when she's hungry....

I don't know what you are feeding her now but upgrading to a better food might help as well.... talk to your vet about putting her back on a puppy food for a while...

I'm not quite sure what you mean by her putting her nose to the bowl and then the floor... is she taking pieces of food out and eating them elsewhere ? If this is the case many dogs do it... I don't know why but they do.... there's no reason to stop the behavior or to feed her in her crate because of it...

Do you keep food out for her all day to snack on or does she have set meal times ? If she's underweight and she has set meal times it could be that she has a tiny tummy and just can't physically take in enough food during that time frame... if that's the case then I would leave a bowl out for her all day to snack on when she's hungry....

I don't know what you are feeding her now but upgrading to a better food might help as well.... talk to your vet about putting her back on a puppy food for a while...

Thanks for the reply Ponyrun2!Her eating behavior is almost as though she is trying to rub her nose on the floor to get rid of the smell, and then puts it back up to the bowl and repeats. I have not seen another dog do this before either.

I feed her twice a day, once in morning then in evening in her kennel. Take it away after about 15 minutes. She eats more in the evening than in the mornings. Since her previous owner exposed her to human food, and she isn't taking to her dry dog food, Wellness, I was thinking of switching her dry dog food to another brand. We tried mixing the dry food with the Wellness canned meats but she didnt like that brand meat as much as Cesar. At this time, I am almost desperate for her to gain more weight. She is at 6.5 lbs right now. I know she can eat more than she is now, but she is picky or the food just doesn't appeal to her. I will change her dry food to another brand and if I have to, my last resort is to cook homemade dog food for her to gain weight.

Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:Dog Eating BehaviorThanks for the reply Ponyrun2!Her eating behavior is almost as though she is trying to rub her nose on the floor to get rid of the smell, and then puts it back up to the bowl and repeats. I have not seen another dog do this before either.

I feed her twice a day, once in morning then in evening in her kennel. Take it away after about 15 minutes. She eats more in the evening than in the mornings. Since her previous owner exposed her to human food, and she isn't taking to her dry dog food, Wellness, I was thinking of switching her dry dog food to another brand. We tried mixing the dry food with the Wellness canned meats but she didnt like that brand meat as much as Cesar. At this time, I am almost desperate for her to gain more weight. She is at 6.5 lbs right now. I know she can eat more than she is now, but she is picky or the food just doesn't appeal to her. I will change her dry food to another brand and if I have to, my last resort is to cook homemade dog food for her to gain weight.

Every critter has their cute, but unique behaviors. This one is nothing to worry about, just interesting. Some dogs will take a kibble, put it on the floor or take it to a new location, and then eat it off the floor. This is probably a variation of that behavior. Have fun with your new dog.

Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:Dog Eating BehaviorEvery critter has their cute, but unique behaviors. This one is nothing to worry about, just interesting. Some dogs will take a kibble, put it on the floor or take it to a new location, and then eat it off the floor. This is probably a variation of that behavior. Have fun with your new dog.

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